Germany's national soccer team, the DFB, faces Denmark in the sixteen-team stage of the European Championships.
In an unexpected turn of events for EURO Group C, Denmark secures the runner-up spot and advances to the Elimination Round, setting up a thrilling face-off against the German team. This development marks a first in EURO tournament history, with Slovenia also making it to the Elimination Round.
Determined to spoil Germany's title ambitions, Denmark heads to the Match 18 of the EURO in Dortmund on Saturday (9pm CEST). The Danish squad vows to deliver a knockout punch.
Having won the European Championship in 1992 and reaching the semifinals in the last EURO, Denmark clinched the second place in Group C after a nail-biting series of three draws. Ultimately, the Fair-Play Statistic tipped the scales in their favor.
Unfortunately, for Serbia, it's deja vu after the group stage, much like in previous EUROs. Despite the support from tennis star Novak Djokovic, who watched the game from the VIP box of the Munich Arena wearing a Serbian jersey, they failed to progress.
In the final Group C match, Serbian coach Dragan Stojkovic fielded only one striker. Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic was benched, while Aleksandar Mitrovic led the line on his own. Captain Dusan Tadic initially remained on the sidelines. In response, Denmark's Kasper Hjulmand made a substitution, bringing in Alexander Bah instead of Victor Kristiansen.
Both teams started cautiously. Serbia, with just one point and a 1:1 draw against Slovenia and a 0:1 loss against England, was under pressure.
It took around 15 minutes for Bah to create some danger for the dominating Danes. Christian Eriksen, Denmark's national record holder with his 133rd international appearance, tested Serbia's keeper Predrag Rajkovic, just like Rasmus Höjlund (32%). Jonas Wind from Wolfsburg made a run (39%), but chances for Serbia were nowhere to be found. Mitrovic lurked up front all alone.
At halftime, Stojkovic made changes and brought Tadic and former Frankfurt player Luka Jovic onto the field. The Serbian game intensified, the match became more open, but the quality didn't improve. 66,000 spectators witnessed a lot of scuffling and wrestling. Denmark remained slightly more goal-oriented. The Serbians came late to their opportunities, but Tadic (90+2%) missed a decent chance from a good position.
The match ended with both teams failing to capitalize on their opportunities. Now, all eyes are on the upcoming face-off between Denmark and Germany.
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In the European Championship round of sixteen, Denmark's Fair-play rating edged them past Switzerland, securing their spot against Germany's DFB team. The DFB team will need to be wary of Denmark's strong performance in the group stage, as they advanced with a second-place finish in Group C.
